Easy Homemade Hummus

The key to great hummus is high-quality tahini. I love this brand, available on Amazon and probably also at your local Mediterranean market. You can find the remaining ingredients (garbanzo beans, garlic, lemon, olive oil and salt) at your regular grocery.

One of the best things about hummus is that it does not require any cooking. That said, if you have time to turn on a burner, here is what I love to do with the garlic:

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat. Add the peeled garlic — in whole cloves — to the oil. Cook the garlic for a few minutes on each side, just until lightly golden brown. (Burned garlic tastes bitter, so if you over-brown the garlic, discard and start over.) Use this fried garlic in place of the raw garlic in your recipe. The garlic flavor will be a bit more subtle, but still rich, complex and completely delicious!